Watch March Madness basketball on the iPhone

Hoops fans with iPhones were able to catch live streaming video broadcasts of last season's NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship on their smartphones. But there was one key restriction with the CBS Sports Mobile app that let you tune in: you had to be connected via Wi-Fi.

On Monday, CBS Sports Mobile plans to release a premium NCAA March Madness On Demand iPhone app that will make it possible for fans to watch the entire March Madness tournament across any iPhone-capable network: Wi-Fi, 3G, or even AT&T's Edge network.

Users will be able to stream 63 live games, from the first round contests right up through the Final Four. The one game that won't be available on video through the app is the opening round contest on March 16 that decides the 64th team in the bracket.

You can switch channels during overlapping games, and use the app to track the progress of your office fantasy pool.

Of course, there's no telling what the video experience will be like over slower wireless networks. There's a cautionary note in the CBS Mobile press release that says, "sufficient network coverage is required to stream live video."

"As bandwidth goes up, so does the quality of the video," CBS Mobile vice president Rob Gelick says. But he adds that CBS will be employing techniques to manage the quality of the video based on the connection.

One plus: If you're driving or otherwise unable to watch the tournament, you can use the app to tap into Westwood One radio broadcasts of the games.

Also, users will pay more this year than last. A year ago, the NCAA CBS Sports Mobile app cost $4.99. This time around, you'll pay $9.99. But there's also a new free app that will let you receive news and on-demand video highlights.

Premium app subscribers get another nice benefit: scores and other alerts, such as when a game is close or headed to overtime, or when there's an upset in the making.

The free and premium apps will be available for the iPhone and iPod Touch on Monday in Apple's App Store. Live coverage commences with the March 14 tournament selection show. The app expires at the end of the tournament on April 5.

CBS Mobile is also making all 63 games available to AT&T cellphone customers who have subscriptions to Qualcomm's FLO TV mobile TV service. As a FLO subscriber, you won't have to pay extra to watch the games. If you're a non-AT&T customer with a FLO subscription, you'll be able to only watch the games also broadcast on CBS television, not the entire schedule.

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